Michael Nesmith, guitarist and singer of the 1960s band The Monkees, passed away on Friday in Los Angeles, at the age at 78.
His family released a statement to TMZ confirming his death. It read: “With inexpressible love, we announce the passing of Michael Nesmith at his home, surrounded and loved by family, from natural causes peacefully.”
Nesmith, who was the third member of the group, has now died. His hits included Daydream Believer, Valerie and Valerie.
Micky Dolenz, the sole survivor of his illness, performed their last show at Illinois’ Greek Theater.
Mike Nesmith (The Monkees), died at the tender age of 78 on Friday
Micky Dolenz (left), the sole survivor of his band, was there to perform together last month
Monkees was a group that was created to be a TV show on a rock and roll band.
TMZ reported that Nesmith fought for artistic controls during the time the band was together. This allowed the band to become more than a just a band made for television. They released hit after hit and eventually matched the popularity of The Beatles.
TMZ says that at the beginning of the program, Nesmith found out that some members didn’t actually play their instruments. This upset Nesmith so much, he made a punch in a wall.
Nesmith spoke out years later about the incident, saying that they were just kids who had their own tastes in music. They were more happy performing songs they wrote or loved than those handed to them.
Nesmith pitched a program called PopClips to help launch MTV after the disbandment of the group. This show eventually became the 24-hour television channel.
Nesmith was the guitarist and singer of the Monkees in the 1960s.
This quartet was formed for television’s show on a rock’n’roll group. This group consisted of Peter Tork (top) and Mickey Dolenz, along with Mike Nesmith and David Jones (bottom). They continued to release hits after hits and rivalled the popularity of The Beatles.